Painted Leaves
by Kittyclaw
Summary: Oneshot, fluffy OxA. Sitting outside one fall day, Aelita decides to make Odd tell her a story.


**It's been what, forever since I wrote any simple fluff? Even longer then its been since I wrote some OxA, that's for sure. And so, while thinking about the fact that I still have like, two months before it starts to get cold, this popped into my head. Hopefully you find it cuddly and snuggly. Enjoy :)**

The autumn leaves rustled together as a cool fall breeze blew through them. Winding through the branches the wind danced with the leaves, pulling and pushing each one before moving on to the next. As it left the tree it caught one final leaf, which it wrapped around and plucked free of its branch before dropping it from the sky. The lone burgundy leaf fluttered down through the air to land softly on the hem of a bright pink coat. It was quickly scooped up by pale hands to be examined closely by bright green eyes.

Turning the leaf over in her hands the pink coated girl asked, "What makes leaves change color?"

"Fall," her companion said simply, tucking his hands further into his jacket pockets and resting his head against the trunk of the tree he and the girl were sitting under.

"I know that Odd," the girl said, smiling and giving the blonde a playful shove. "I mean what makes it happen? What in the leaf decides that it doesn't want to be green anymore? And why does it turn brown or yellow or," the girl held up her leaf, "red?"

"I don't know Aelita," Odd said, shrugging one shoulder. "You should ask Jeremy."

"But Jeremy's not here," Aelita said.

"Then you should ask him when you see him," Odd said. He then turned his attention away from Aelita and to the little dog barreling towards him. Aelita giggled as the dog skidded on the thick layer of dead debris coating the ground and vanished into one of the large heaps of leaves laying around, probably one of the ground's keeper's attempts to keep the area semi-tidy. Odd just rolled his eyes, though he was smiling when the little critter popped back into view.

"Hey Kiwi," he said as the dog bounded over, dropping a small purple ball in Odd's lap. Odd grinned, grabbing the toy and chucking it off into the distance. Kiwi took off after it in a cloud of scattered foliage. Odd watched him disappear back into the woods, at least until something red burst into his field of vision to capture his attention.

"Are you sure you don't know how it works?" Aelita asked curiously as Odd grabbed for the leaf she had held in front of his face. The pink haired girl quickly pulled it away.

"Yes, I'm sure," Odd said, wrinkling his nose at Aelita. She stuck her tongue out at him, and then snuggled up against his side. Odd smiled, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Then you should make something up."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to."

Odd made a sound somewhere between a moan and a whine.

"It doesn't have to be scientific or anything," Aelita said. "Just something to explain why my leaf is red. I know!" she shouted suddenly. "Make it a story!"

"A…story?" Odd asked. Aelita nodded and he raised an eyebrow. Aelita gave him a pleading look. He wrinkled his nose at her, but when her pout didn't let up he sighed. He knew when he was beaten.

"Okay, fine," he huffed, earning an excited 'yay!' from Aelita who snuggled up closer. "So, uh, once upon a time-"

"Odd," Aelita whined, "Can't you be a little more original?"

"Nope," Odd answered. "So, like I was saying, once upon a time there were leaves. That were, uh, green. But they wanted to be other colors."

"So how did they do that?" Aelita asked when Odd paused. The blonde raised a finger to his chin in thought

"Umm, with paint."

"Paint?" Aelita repeated. Odd nodded.

"Yes, paint."

"How?"

"Buy being painted," Odd answered. "You know, with paint brushes and stuff."

"But who painted them?" Aelita asked curiously.

"Who do you think painted them?" Odd asked. Aelita hummed in thought then rested her head against Odd's shoulder.

"Elves," she answered him. "Tree elves."

"Okay then," Odd said, hugging Aelita a little closer. "So one day the leaves decided they wanted to be other colors besides green. So the tree elves came with their paint and painted them yellow and red and brown."

"If it's tree elves then how come you never see them?" Aelita questioned. Odd was about to remind her that this was just supposed to be a made up story when he noticed the mischievous glint that lit her eyes.

"You never see them because…they come out at night," he explained, grinning at her. "Tree elves are very shy you know." Aelita nodded like a student listening to a teacher's lecture.

"Do the tree elves make them fall out of the tree?" she asked.

"No, that was the leaves idea," Odd said. He found he kind of liked the challenge of trying to come up with this stuff on the fly. "It's because…the leaves wanted to show their colors off to everyone else. And so once they're painted and the paint dries they leap from the tree. That way everyone down here gets to see them."

"Like my leaf," Aelita said happily. Odd nodded.

"So, now you know why leaves change color," he said. "And fall from trees." Aelita nodded this time.

"Thanks Odd," she said, looking at her leaf for a moment and then turning green eyes up at Odd. He smiled at her, and hugged her tighter.

"Any time princess."


End file.
